Honey bee forage in Stanton, North Dakota

When is the honey flow in Stanton?

• First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
• Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red)
• Season ends: Oct 31

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Stanton, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on May 19.

What the honey is made of

• Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
• Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), alfalfa, dry Beans; light amber, likely to set over some months
• Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, likely to set over some months

Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.

Bee crops within flight range

• Corn: about 538 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
• Dry beans: about 245 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi NW, blooms late Jul – late Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Alfalfa: about 117 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
• Canola: about 46 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi N, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
• Soybeans: about 166 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi NW, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)

From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.

The land and water around Stanton

Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains Floodplain Herbaceous; Open water.

Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.12 mi E; pond, lake or river 0.34 mi S.

How Stanton ranks

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 54% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.

Nearby

Hazen 11 mi · Riverdale 12 mi · Pick City 14 mi · Center 15 mi · Underwood 15 mi · Washburn 17 mi

All towns in North Dakota · National map · How the scoring works

An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Stanton (47.3185, -101.382); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.